Sierra Nevada Brewing Locates to Henderson County, NC

January 25, 2012

Search for East Coast Operation Site Concludes

Henderson County, NC—Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. announced their plans today to locate their east coast brewing, bottling and distribution operation in Mills River, NC. The Chico, CA based company, and family-owned pioneer in craft brewing, will break ground on their facility in the coming year.

The company plans to create 95 full time jobs, 80 part-time positions and invest $107.5 million during the next five years in Henderson County. In addition the company expects that 60 construction and mechanical jobs will be supported during the 24-month building process. The average wage for jobs created will be $41,526 plus benefits, exceeding the county’s average wage by 28%.

“After carefully looking at more than 200 sites east of the Mississippi, Sierra Nevada is pleased to locate our second brewery in Henderson County,” said Ken Grossman, CEO of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. “We are very grateful to the officials in Mills River, Henderson County and the State of North Carolina whose time, effort and commitment were instrumental in making this happen. We are proud to be associated with many fine breweries that call North Carolina home.”

The company will be the first occupant of the 262 acre Ferncliff Park, a North Carolina Certified Site. Ferncliff was an ideal fit for the company, because the plan for the park’s development reflected their focus on sustainability, native landscaping, environmental stewardship, and energy efficiency design standards. Sierra Nevada’s location in Ferncliff will further develop the connectivity of the French Broad River, from headwaters and beyond, creating unique opportunities for a customer experience. The full operation is expected to include a restaurant, tasting room, and live music venue.

Tommy Thompson, Chairman of the Henderson County Board of Commissions shared, “Henderson County is excited to welcome Sierra Nevada to our community. The culture of Sierra Nevada is a natural fit here and the Board of Commissioners is excited not only for the economic benefit to the region, but also the cultural impact of this company.”

HCPED Board Chairman, Kelly Leonard said, “working with Sierra Nevada was an intimate process, and for those of us involved personally it has been a great pleasure. This is a family-owned operation and through each meeting, we learned that this family was choosing a new home, one that would be an extension of their personal culture. We anticipate great things from this company and their role in and impact to the community.”

The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, Inc. is a 501(c)6 organization that works to: retain and attract quality jobs; solicit new business compatible with the assets and values of Henderson County; promote Henderson County’s business image; assist expansion of existing companies; and enhance Henderson County’s overall quality of life. For more information on the Partnership visit www.strategiclocation.com. For more information about Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., visit www.sierranevada.com.

Twitter Feed

Location

Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development is a public/private partnership that serves as the professional economic development organization for Henderson County. 2018 marks 24 years of an organized economic development effort resulting in $1.23 billion of taxable investment, helping to create and retain 5,583 jobs. You can view our Annual Report to learn more about our organization and efforts.